1. The inspiration for the movie came when Reiner, caller disconnected of his occurrence from the classical mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, acceptable up with a gathering with Ephron, caller disconnected of Silkwood's success, to transportation her a courtroom drama. She didn't emotion it. So their repast turned to their idiosyncratic lives. A fewer weeks later, they met up again, with Reiner yet saying: "Two radical go friends astatine the extremity of the archetypal large narration successful each of their lives and they made a determination not to person enactment due to the fact that it volition ruin the friendship. And past they person enactment and it ruins the friendship." Ephron was successful immediately, and began taking notes arsenic Reiner, who had been divorced for 10 years, and producer Andy Scheinman talked astir their dating lives arsenic bachelors, with galore of their experiences and quotes ending up successful the script.

2. Initially they called the movie Scenes From a Friendship, a rift on Ingmar Bergman's Scenes From a Marriage (1973), 1 of Reiner's inspirations for the movie. Other titles considered were Boy Meets Girl, It Had to Be You, and Harry, This Is Sally earlier When Harry Met Sally... was yet chosen. It was Reiner's determination to adhd the ellipses, overmuch to Ephron's chagrin (which was shared by astir publications and journalists arsenic they are seldom utilized successful the film's media coverage). 

3. While Ephron initially saw Reiner, champion known for his acting enactment connected the iconic sitcom All successful the Family, perchance playing Harry, particularly fixed that helium was the inspiration for the character, the manager wanted a bankable starring man. They approached Michael Keaton, Tom Hanks—"I don't deliberation Tom ever regretted not doing it," Ephron would aboriginal say, "because helium conscionable ne'er knew however to play it"—Albert Brooks, Richard Dreyfuss…they each passed. All the while, Crystal, a well-known comedic prima but not precisely the archetypal histrion you thought of erstwhile considering a rom-com starring man, was conscionable waiting for the call.

"I knew from agents and managers that [Rob] had met with astir each antheral histrion my age, but me," the prima wrote successful his memoir, admitting helium was tense to propulsion it due to the fact that they were champion friends. Ditto for Reiner, who said helium was "nervous" astir the idea, which is wherefore helium had to marque definite The Princess Bride prima truly was the "perfect guy" earlier yet making the telephone to Crystal, past 40 years old, and the remainder is history.

4. The real-life inspiration fro Harry ended up uncovering emotion during the movie: While filming, Reiner met his aboriginal woman Michele Singer, who came to acceptable to conscionable her person for lunch, which Reiner wormed his mode into aft seeing her. Seven months later, they were joined and are inactive together.

5. As for Sally, Reiner's then-girlfriend Elizabeth McGovern was initially acceptable to play her…but erstwhile the mates split, the hunt was connected for a caller starring lady. Molly Ringwald was considered, but felt excessively young. A somewhat chartless Meg Ryan was connected the abbreviated database with Helen Hunt and Meg Tilly after Susan Dey declined. Ditto Debra Winger and Elizabeth Perkins.

But once Ryan, past 26, tested with Crystal, proving much than susceptible of holding her ain erstwhile it came to improvising, Reiner said, "She's perfect."

6. To play Sally, Ryan would extremity up dropping retired of Steel Magnolias, with her relation arsenic Shelby going to different up-and-coming histrion trying to marque her mark: Julia Roberts. (Another sliding doors infinitesimal for the 2 rom-com queens came erstwhile Ryan passed connected playing the pb relation in Pretty Woman, with the movie ending up becoming Roberts' star-making vehicle.)

7. "Well, we person to person glasses for the quality because...Meg's a batch much charismatic than Billy is," was Ephron's alleged reasoning for Sally's specs, with Ryan trying connected implicit 200 pairs earlier one-of-a-kind La Roche brace (that outgo astir $5k) caught the star's eye. "These really bash look cute connected me," Ryan said, according to Cheryl Schuman of Starry Eyes Optical Services in I'll Have What She's Having, adding the histrion kept trying to locomotion disconnected with them, not realizing they were her medicine glasses. 

"I laughed this tense laugh. I said, 'What americium I thinking, Meg? I would beryllium honored if you took my glasses.'" 20 clones were aboriginal ordered successful a akin La Roche horn-rimmed style.

8. While Harry was undeniably inspired by Reiner, truthful galore of Sally's quirks successful the movie came straight from Ephron, including her precise circumstantial ordering style. "One day, we were eating lunch, and she's ordering, 'This is connected the side, this that,' and I said, 'This has to beryllium successful a movie!'" Reiner recalled to The A.V. Club. "I mean, it was brainsick the mode you're ordering this food. So we enactment that successful arsenic a quality trait for Sally."

Like Sally would say, she conscionable wanted it the mode she wanted it.

9. For Sally's BFF Marie, Star Wars' Carrie Fisher was formed adjacent though she was champion friends with Reiner's ex-wife Penny Marshall; the iconic star, who tragically died successful 2016 astatine the property of 60, would extremity up stealing astir each country she was in, on with Bruno Kirby arsenic Harry's champion person Jess who falls for Marie. Kirby, who passed distant successful 2006, was connected Reiner and Crystal's softball team. 

10. "Baby food mouth!" One of the film's astir iconic lines, said by Jess during a crippled nighttime scene, would extremity up going connected to expanse the nation, and was wholly improvised aft Ryan conscionable drew her mentation of "baby talk."

"I [told Meg], 'Do immoderate you privation to do,'" Reiner recalled to EW. "There was thing successful the script; we conscionable asked her, 'How would you convey 'baby talk'?' It's truthful perfectly unclear!"

11. Another improvised infinitesimal that has gone down successful past is Harry's code to Sally astatine the extremity of the movie, declaring his emotion for her connected New Year's Eve successful the astir realistically romanticist way, which each came from Crystal, Reiner revealed: "Stuff similar 'I emotion the mode your chemoreceptor crinkles'—that was Billy—[and] the large line, 'When you recognize you privation to walk the remainder of your beingness with somebody, you privation the remainder of your beingness to commencement arsenic soon arsenic possible.'"

12. In a somewhat awkward casting decision, Reiner tapped his past 24-year-old girl Tracy Reiner to play Harry's younger woman Emily (aka Aunt Emily, the celebrated cake-maker), kissing country included.

"The country was somewhat awkward for me...because I knew her since she was a small miss and present I person to day her successful the movie," Crystal said, with Tracy aboriginal explaining the actor, who had been joined for 18 years, felt "weird" astir kissing Ryan, truthful she was similar a buffer to assistance him get comfortable. "It wasn't adjacent similar a kiss, you know, convey God," she said successful I'll Have What She's Having of their speedy onscreen peck. 

13. While filming, Ryan had conscionable started dating Dennis Quaid, her D.O.A. co-star. "They were going out," 1 unit subordinate spilled to Carlson successful her book. "She said, 'I cognize this feline Dennis. He's truly brainsick astir me. But I don't cognize what to do. Should I get married? Or, what should I do?'"

She would spell connected to wed Quaid successful 1991, with the superstar mates having 1 kid unneurotic earlier divorcing successful 2001. The histrion later admitted helium struggled with Ryan's emergence to fame during their relationship.

"When we met I was the large deal," the Frequency prima said connected Today in 2018. "We'd spell retired connected the streets of New York and it would beryllium like, ‘Meg! Meg!' And I person to admit it, I really did consciousness similar I disappeared. I didn't deliberation I was that small, but I was. It was a maturation accidental — I learned from that."

14. That four-way telephone telephone that takes spot betwixt Harry and Jess and Sally and Marie aft Harry and Sally yet slumber unneurotic took implicit 60 takes to get close arsenic 1 mistake could ruin the full strategically choreographed scene.

"We changeable it 61 times! If you retrieve astatine the end, they each bent up their phone—boom, boom, roar boom—in rhythm. It took everlastingly to get it right," Reiner told EW. "We did 1 I deliberation 54 in, and we did it: They hung up the phones perfectly. Then Bruno blew his past line. So we had to commencement implicit again!"

15. Sally's-boyfriend Joe, the 1 who took her to the airport, was played by Steven Ford, the lad of President Gerald Ford. 

16. In 1 of the archetypal scenes of the movie, Harry instantly turns Sally disconnected erstwhile helium spits grape seeds retired of car model (before realizing helium had to rotation it down, of course) during their roadworthy trip/bickering session. That item wasn't successful the archetypal script, with Reiner and Crystal coming up with it connected set. 

"I wanted to marque him a small spot rougher astir the edges to start," Reiner explained to EW. "That's what gave Harry his abruptness." 

17. In a full-circle moment, Shakespeare & Company, the autarkic NYC publication store successful which Harry and Sally reconnected successful the self-help conception would extremity up becoming 1 of the inspirations for the tiny publication store Ryan's quality successful Ephron's You've Got Mail astir a decennary later.

18. Ryan would aboriginal admit to sometimes feeling isolated connected set, similar the miss connected a boys' set, mostly due to the fact that of Reiner and Crystal's adjacent relationship and lasting successful the drama world. "They were precise conscientious astir making definite I felt OK, due to the fact that it was precise overmuch similar a pre-fab narration that I'd travel into," she told The L.A. Times. "Usually, everyone comes successful and negotiates their respective positions connected a movie. That didn't hap connected this one." 

While a unit subordinate described the aboriginal days of filming arsenic "very, precise awkward," they said in I'll Have What She's Having that Ryan, who formed enduring friendships with Ephron and Fisher, was "pretty astatine location with things" by the extremity of production.

19. The thought for the infamous orgasm scene, wherever Sally proves to a disbelieving Harry that women tin fake intersexual pleasure, came from an improbable source: Ryan. Initially, the country was conscionable expected to beryllium a conversation, but during a read-through, Ryan said, "Well, wherefore don't I conscionable bash it?" Crystal past suggested it should hap astatine an improbable place, a restaurant, with the iconic Katz's Deli became the setting, though Reiner initially wanted Carnegie Deli. 

Though it was her suggestion, erstwhile the time came to movie the scene, Ryan was tense and was "half-heartedly" doing it astatine first, earlier Reiner, directing her to "go afloat out" took her spot to amusement her precisely what helium wanted (and enactment her astatine ease), receiving applause from each of the extras. The "very focused" Ryan past did instrumentality aft take, and "during each interruption she's tally to her trailer," I'll Have What She's Having notes.

The country would yet gain the movie its R standing and Ryan her spot arsenic 1 of the queens of romanticist comedies. 

20. Later asked wherefore she suggested the fake orgasm for the "high maintenance" Sally, Ryan explained, "The drama of Sally is truthful behavioral. It's not truthful overmuch talking, it's doing, truthful it was precise logical. It wasn't hard to do. We each sat successful Rob's bureau for hours and hours conscionable talking astir [the movie]."

21. As for the pistillate who wanted to person what Sally was having? It was Estelle Reiner, Reiner's 70-year-old mother. He called her to inquire if she would travel successful for 1 enactment that could precise good extremity up connected the cutting country floor. "I don't attraction arsenic agelong arsenic I get to walk the time with my son," she said, according to I'll Have What She's Having. "I'll come, I'll person a blistery dog." She nailed it successful 2 takes, with "I'll person what she's having" becoming 1 of the astir celebrated lines successful movie history. 

22. Since When Harry Met Sally's release, Katz's Deli, located connected the Lower East Side, has go a large tourer attraction, with with a motion hanging implicit the booth. And Katz's Deli is much than arrogant of their relation successful movie history, adjacent hosting a fake orgasm contention successful grant of the film's 30th anniversary, asking fans to recreate the country connected societal media. The prize? The "I'll Have What She's Having" package, which is worthy $135 and includes a t-shirt, tote bag, pins and each the ingredients to marque the sandwich some Sally and Harry were having during the scene. 

23. Ryan has ne'er been backmost to Katz's Deli since filming the scene. 

24. The interstitials of couples telling their respective emotion stories that play passim the film? All existent stories, conscionable told by actors, the thought coming aft Reiner asked 1 of his dad's friends however helium met his wife. Harry and Sally's 1 astatine the extremity of the movie was wholly improvised by Crystal and Ryan. 

25. Initially, the movie was going to extremity with Harry and Sally not ending up together. By the 2nd draft, though, Ephron and Reiner realized they needed a blessed ending to merchantability the movie, though they inactive believed the "true" finale was the duo splitting up.

"I deliberation for the communicative it doesn't consciousness right," Ephron said of 2 radical not instantly hooking up aft they meet, explaining thing has to beryllium missing. "It's hard to marque up for that."

But past Reiner changed his caput again during filming, with the caller ending uncovering the erstwhile mates moving into each different connected the street, 5 years aft the existent ending, with viewers near to wonderment if they mightiness perchance reconcile. Test audiences, however, were not fans of this ending. "If they had tomatoes they would person thrown them astatine the screen," Andy said, with viewers wanting a blessed ending. And fixed the information that Reiner was happily successful emotion aft gathering his future-wife connected set, helium ended up giving Harry and Sally their ain happily ever after, with the condiment connected the side. 

26. Thirty years later, Reiner weighed successful connected whether oregon not helium thinks Harry and Sally are inactive together. "Yes, they are," helium said during a sheet astatine the TCM Classic Film Festival. "That doesn't mean they haven't had tremendous ups and downs oregon been connected the verge of divorcement and got backmost together, conscionable similar immoderate relationship. But I bash deliberation they're inactive together."

Just don't expect a sequel, arsenic Crystal added, "As we got older, what would the movie about? When Harry Left Sally? When Sally Got Sick? Just fto them beryllium blessed and wherever everybody wants them to be. For each of america who judge successful happily ever after, that's wherever they live."

27. "Can men and women truly beryllium friends?" That was the question posed by the movie, and some stars answered portion promoting the movie successful a 1989 interrogation with USA Today.

"Yes, men and women tin conscionable beryllium friends. I person a batch of platonic [male] friends, and enactment doesn't get successful the way," Ryan said. As for Crystal's answer, helium said, "I'm a small much optimistic than Harry. But I deliberation it is difficult. Men fundamentally enactment similar stray dogs successful beforehand of a supermarket. I bash person platonic (women) friends, but not best, best, champion friends."

28. One of the film's biggest supporters? The precocious Princess Diana, who watched the movie sitting adjacent to Crystal astatine the 1989 royal premiere successful London, which Ryan besides attended sporting astir nary make-up, a baggy brownish formal and then-fiancé Quaid connected her arm.

Most of the assemblage watched the royal respond to the film, with the formed and unit disquieted implicit however she would respond to the infamous orgasm scene. "When the orgasm country starts, she was laughing truthful hard, conscionable belching it out. She had the benignant of laughter wherever if you were connected a date, you'd ne'er privation to spot her again," Crystal said in I'll Have What She's Having. "Then she grabbed my manus and said, 'So naughty.'"

Diana loved WHMS truthful overmuch she asked for the movie astatine Buckingham Palace for movie nights with her friends. No connection connected if Queen Elizabeth II ever joined successful connected the fun. 

29. Another unexpected fan? Ryan's 14-year-old daughter, arsenic then-fiancé John Mellencamp precocious decided to amusement the teen When Harry Met Sally for the archetypal time, Katz's Deli country included. 

"I'm walking astir the location doing different stuff," Ryan revealed to People. "But I tin hear, 'Baby food mouth.' I perceive the orgasm scene, and past there's soundlessness from the country they're watching in. My daughter's 14! And John goes, 'Meeeeeeeeg! I'm not explaining this!'"

30. But Ryan already had dealt with 1 of her kids watching her Katz's Deli scene, as Jack Quaid, her lad with Dennis Quaid, revealed connected a sheet in 2018 that helium had precocious watched When Harry Met Sally for the archetypal time. 

"Guys, erstwhile your parent has 1 of the astir celebrated orgasm scenes of each time, you bash not leap to the film, OK?" the histrion said. "I saw it due to the fact that I was doing a rom-com, and that's similar the rom-com, and I watched it, and past afterwards I cried for truthful long, due to the fact that I was truthful arrogant of her, and I instantly called her, and I'm like, 'I'm truthful atrocious I missed this movie.' She's like, 'I've seen it similar 1 time.' Anyway, that's my favourite of hers."